Wish everybody thought like that….my neighbor, his wife, and a relative has shot 5 bucks, a couple does and are going back out this weekend to shoot some more!! Remind you they don’t own 500 acres…they maybe own 50 acres if that next to my 22 acres!!! It sucks!

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“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, that’s when you’ll be successful” - Eric Thomas

This means being stewards of the land and the deer we love to hunt. It means taking does before they are bred early in the season, and not shooting immature bucks. Let them walk.

Can you please explain to me why this matters? 99% of the does will get bred some time in Nov/Dec. Soooooo, if you shoot a doe in October, you kill the doe and a 99% chance would would have carried a fawn or 2 later in the year. If you shoot the same doe in January you kill the same doe and the same chance she is carrying a fawn or 2. So what is the difference besides I messed up my hunting spot by doe hunting in October….......sorry but is makes absolutely no sense!!!!

I think you missed the point. Just leave the does walk or there won’t be much of a herd to hunt in certain counties. I live in a CWD area for the last 4 yrs between extra tags, seasons, and pure greed by hunters I see no light at the end of the tunnel. I think in my county we are back to 1980 levels. ...IT’S A SHAME!!!

No I didn’t miss that point…... I do understand that in certain areas numbers are low. I have seen it in some ares I hunt. On the other hand some areas I hunt have great numbers. I shot a doe for the freezer 2 weeks ago and saw 30+ does that sit. Did taking that one doe hurt that population? NO. In fact, I am able to hunt that property because the land owner (A farmer) wants numbers reduced a little to reduce his crop damage. I think we all have to manage OUR AREA based on what we are seeing in OUR AREA. You can’t post a blanket statement saying that no one should shoot a single doe because in some areas numbers are good. Just my $.02.

Kyle, I think the logic is that if a doe survived past the “let’s get meat” phase of the early hunting season, and it has been bred in November, now the extra season you are taking a doe that now has 1 or 2 offspring.

I get what you are saying but the way you are legitimizing it, it’s like arguing against the electoral college versus popular vote.

While kschroeder’s statements aren’t very popular with many conservation minded hunters….I totally agree with him.

I’ve caught flack from some friends as well. But the truth is, if you want your herd to grow….DON’T SHOOT ANY DOES. Because if you shoot one, it’s dead. And it’s just as dead in October as it will be in January. If you shoot it in October it was still going to be pregnant in a few weeks, so you have done the same amount of damage either way.

And before you try to convince me otherwise, please know that I haven’t shot a doe in 2 or 3 seasons.

I’m a big advocate of conservation and do more than my fair share of work to benefit wildlife on the property we hunt. I have killed one deer in each of the past 3 seasons, and all of them were mature bucks. I, personally, have enjoyed the LWS when we used to participate (my county still has it). It took the pressure off for the earlier part of the season knowing that I had no intention of shooting a doe until January. And if I shot a heavy bodied buck before that happened….I DIDN’T NEED TO SHOOT A DOE!!!!!! But if I had shot that doe on 10/1, I still would have killed the big buck when he came by. And then I would have killed 2 deer instead of one.

I going to add something to the mix that many just seem to want to ignore, but the lack of check stations is hurting the population, and the real number of deer taken is not what is reported people. Deer are still getting tags placed upon them after harvest, but the number of those deer that are processed at home never get called in to the DNR. They are transported to the location, and cut up behind closed doors to never be heard of again. Those that have some of the meat processed by a commercial processor will call the tags in , but far to many are never getting called in. Now that is not saying the reason every time is to reuse the tag, but that does happen as well, but many just seem to forget, or just feel there is no reason for it, and its no big deal if they don’t call it in. It’s a problem people, and a big problem, and you will never have a handle on the numbers the way the system is set up now. That old metal tag given at the check stations years ago served the sportsmen/ women of our state very well, and needs brought back to bring things back in line. Yes I know a certain number of deer will always be off record, but sometimes you have to push people in the direction to do the right thing, and I think this would. Use the check station to gather information about many other issues we have with wildlife, and let those checking in deer be a part of the process that has worked so well in the past for wildlife professionals.

The current system does make it easier to cheat however cheaters will cheat no matter the system. Check stations are much better for gathering information, and the metal leg tag would prevent some of the cheating, just don’t see this as one of the reasons for our current situation. While hunting geese Sat. We observed a mature doe go down. I don’t we need any late seasons, so if you want the heard to grow stop shooting does If your area is in decline.

The current system does make it easier to cheat however cheaters will cheat no matter the system. Check stations are much better for gathering information, and the metal leg tag would prevent some of the cheating, just don’t see this as one of the reasons for our current situation. While hunting geese Sat. We observed a mature doe go down. I don’t think we need any late seasons, so if you want the heard to grow stop shooting does If your area is in decline.

Here is something to think about on shooting doe, If your going to shoot a doe, why not shoot a yearling. Doe’s wont normally come into breeding phase till normally about 18 months old. If you shoot a yearling, your not shooting a doe that will be bred that year. Not shooting your older doe’s will leave your breeder doe available for breeding & producing offspring. Yes I understand it is not as much meat as an older mature doe, but your not shooting potential twin bearing doe. JMO. What is y’alls opinion on this.

The current system does make it easier to cheat however cheaters will cheat no matter the system. Check stations are much better for gathering information, and the metal leg tag would prevent some of the cheating, just don’t see this as one of the reasons for our current situation. While hunting geese Sat. We observed a mature doe go down. I don’t think we need any late seasons, so if you want the heard to grow stop shooting does If your area is in decline.

It’s not a matter how you see it, it is happening !!

Those that care to ignore the fact fine, but realize that people that would normally check a deer in a few year ago now just tag it, and get it to the house behind closed doors, and then its all over. I have seen good people that would never ever think of breaking any game laws let this one slip, and its become a problem people. If they happen to kill a wall hanger, then yes they will call it in, but if just a meat deer then out of sight out of mind. Many also feel the state let them down with taking away the check station. They wonder how those wildlife professionals within the DNR are able to realize what’s really going on when nobody gets out of the office. Now I know that is not how things really are, but perception is reality, and many sportsmen/women perceive this very thing with our wildlife professionals, and because of this many choose not to be part of the process. I have found out in life that most people are only as good as their options, and just because the state gave us the chance to reports these kills without check stations doesn’t mean they should have.

I know this is a very touchy subject and every hunter has their own thoughts. I think more and more hunters are starting to realize that there is a major problem. In my opinion there is no one answer but many small ones. Keeping on the state to cut permit numbers and extra seasons down is the only one we have no control over. The rest is on us. I know every county is different but you have to hunt your conscious. Now added in coyotes that take 50% of the fawns and if the state don’t get enough samples in the CWD counties the sharpshooters will shoot more. The one hunter talk about the check stations a major plus to keep them honest. Think about what you saw this season and 5 yrs ago just might change your mind on that doe…JUST MY OPINION…

I know this is a very touchy subject and every hunter has their own thoughts. I think more and more hunters are starting to realize that there is a major problem. In my opinion there is no one answer but many small ones. Keeping on the state to cut permit numbers and extra seasons down is the only one we have no control over. The rest is on us. I know every county is different but you have to hunt your conscious. Now added in coyotes that take 50% of the fawns and if the state don’t get enough samples in the CWD counties the sharpshooters will shoot more. The one hunter talk about the check stations a major plus to keep them honest. Think about what you saw this season and 5 yrs ago just might change your mind on that doe…JUST MY OPINION…

Coyote predation is a huge factor, and the deer seasons we now have in place does nothing but help the coyote population within this state. We dump countless numbers of gut piles from October till now, and all this protein hits the ground right before the coyote breeding season takes place. Add CRP (Coyote Reproduction Program) into the mix, and you have the perfect storm for coyote predation. Lets also add the number of road kill everything, and the state of Illinois is a virtual paradise for coyotes. I will also add the number of coyote hunters/trappers we have in the state that are able to put the true hurt upon the coyote population is very limited. Guys take just a handful here and there just is not going to get the job done right. Fur prices have edged up for coyotes the last few seasons, but those prices paid are mostly for coyotes that come from far better sections of the country, and the semi heavy types we have are commercial at best. There are not many 100-200 coyote men a season within our state, and those dog clubs that always claim big numbers, well I have no problem putting up good numbers in some of the very areas these fella’s hunt. The dog guys know there is more money in selling dog, than in coyotes, and far less work. Also please don’t tell me how great our coyotes are, because there is no way they are able to stack up to an Alberta, or even the Dakota types, just apples and oranges.

I’m going to jump back a little , and go into more detail about the whole coyote predation thing. The deer seasons we have now in place makes it hard for a coyote trapper to do his job, and do it efficiently. With living so good for a coyote during the trapping season its hard to make them work sets when the have a full belly. Yes you can , and are caught all the time, but with all the food available it does add an element to the game that in the long run hurts many species of wildlife. The timing is what make this whole thing such a problem, with a good food source always at hand, and trapping/hunting attempts for them at all time lows, well you guys do the math.

Where I live in (2010) it was nothing to see 100 plus deer in one field at once. Now its exciting (sadly) to see 8 or 10 in the same field. ( Yes at the same time of year). Yet I live in a county that still has the late winter killing going on. SMDH!. As far as the coyotes. When I first moved where I am now, I would hear them nightly. They were always back in my timber or the neighboring crp away from my house. Now its nothing to come home at night and see them in my yard. One even craps on my front walk!. I have found 4 dead deer on my land this year. 2 older fawns - one mature doe and one young 7 point buck. 90% sure all were all killed by coyotes. Because all areas looked like one hell of a fight took place and 100 yards of deer hair leading to the kill site. I try and kill as many as I can but don’t think I am making any difference in numbers . Back to the deer. Its sad that most don’t see a problem or care. You pay hard earned money for a tag , you’re going to try and fill that tag. Illinois should make it to where you have to kill a coyote before you can kill a deer. I guess when you live where you only see deer every once in a while and just come to the country once or twice a year to hunt you can’t see the forest for the trees.